“When I see you / I run out of words to say,” Akon sings in the opening lines of his love ballad, “Beautiful”. Would-be hit-makers take note: This brilliant couplet lowers lyrical expectation and allows the artist to concentrate on his Auto-Tuned strong points. Namely, letting former Rebelde teeny popper and “Plaza Sesamo” cast member Dulce Maria work a crossover into Latino markets. This is what business strategists call a “master delegator”. Other tips include using beats from other artists’ tracks (in this case Alice Deejay’s “Better Off Alone”), and keeping the backing music and lead vocal melody to a minimum, since they take up valuable time and inspiration that could be devoted to, say, designing a fashion line like Konvict Clothing. This man is not a mogul by accident!
by Mark Emge
